TheCup.us Player of the Round: Two goals by Sainey Touray help City Islanders slay another giant, earn him Fourth Round honor

Sainey Touray has scored three goals in the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Derek Meluzio | PennLive.com

Former New York Red Bulls signee Sainey Touray became just the third player from a third division club to score twice against a Major League Soccer opponent in leading his Harrisburg City Islanders to a surprise 3-1 overtime victory in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup, earning him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

The selection marks only the seventh time since TheCup.us began recognizing the tournament’s outstanding performances in 2006 that a player was selected from a third division club – the second beyond the third round.

Touray, who has yet to score in USL Pro league play, scored the go-ahead goal both times for the City Islanders Tuesday evening. Brian Ombiji got the ball near the top of the 18-yard box. After some deft footwork, he crossed the ball to Touray, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 13th minute. Four minutes into overtime Jason Pelletier found himself with the ball in space in the middle of the field. He lobbed a pass over the top of the defense and right into the path of Touray, who slotted it past rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara and into the net.

This was the fifth time in the last six tournaments that the City Islanders have eliminated an MLS team. The Charleston Battery are the only other lower division team in the country who has five MLS upsets in the last six years, but four of those upsets were as a second division club.

Touray joins Glenn Murray and Marquis White as the only third division players to tally twice in a game against an MLS team. Murray scored two for the Wilmington Hammerheads in a 4-1 win over Dallas in the 2003 Fourth Round. White scored both goals in the 1997 Third Round against Kansas City as the San Francisco Bay Seals made their historic run to the Semifinals.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a select panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week award.

Sainey Touray of the Harrisburg City Islanders controls the ball against the New York Red Bulls. Photo: Derek Meluzio | PennLive.com

“You never know what could happen at times in this lovely game and to come up big when your team needs you is a great feeling,” Touray told Derek Meluzio of PennLive.com. “I’m so happy to be part of this club in these great moments.

The Gambian seems to have finally found his home in the United States. He was basically just a kid when he started to excel in his homeland, joining second division club Tallinding United at 13 and signing with the first division’s Wallidan at 15. In 2008 he was the club’s leading scorer while leading them to the league title.

The success sparked a move to the US, where he signed with the Red Bulls only to see his career grind basically to a halt. He only saw action in six Reserve team matches after signing via a trial. After another stint with Wallidan he returned in 2010, signing with the Carolina RailHawks, but again he saw no action with the club, and spent a part of the campaign on loan to Harrisburg.

That was the beginning. He scored in the one appearance he made for the team. He returned and was one of the club’s outstanding performers last year, finishing second in points and third in goals on the squad with seven goals and six assists.